


In Sickness

by GenKay



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bonding, Caretaking, Delirium, Fever, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Rimming, Sick Character, Sickfic, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:33:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25961395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenKay/pseuds/GenKay
Summary: Sometimes all it takes for people to understand each-other is for one of them to be vulnerable. Sounds a lot easier than it actually is.
Relationships: Miguel Diaz/Robby Keene
Comments: 24
Kudos: 319





	1. Miguel I

He was being stupid. Or paranoid. Or something. It was just one class. There was no reason for him to feel nervous like this.

Miguel knocked on Johnny’s door anyway, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach. It wasn’t like Sensei at all, to miss a class like that. The students had all waited outside the closed doors for over an hour before giving up. And all their calls had gotten the same switched-off reply. That had never happened before. Even though Sensei had gotten drunk and hungover plenty of times, he’d always showed up. Or even when he hadn’t, he had atleast answered the phone, flustered and apologetic, before showing up half an hour later. This complete blackout was really not like him. 

And then there was the thing from last night. Miguel had woken up to the distinctive roar of Sensei’s challenger and been worried for a moment - but then he’d dismissed it and gone back to sleep. And he’d seen the car in the parking lot this morning, so he’d figured there was nothing to worry about. But now he was having second-thoughts. 

But there was probably nothing to worry about after all, Miguel thought as he heard shuffling sounds from inside the house in response to his knocks. Sensei probably got drunk and his phone died. He had been drinking a lot less nowadays, but he was allowed a binge every now and then, right?

“Miguel?” Johnny said, opening the door a crack. “Something wrong?”

_ You tell me,  _ Miguel said mentally. Sensei didn’t  _ look  _ drunk. He did look tired though. Drawn and pale and with bags under his eyes - like he’d been up all night. Something was definitely off here. 

“You missed the class, Sensei.” Miguel explained. “We were worried. Is something going on?”

The answer came in the form of a loud, hacking coughing fit from inside the house and Johnny closed his eyes in exasperation.  _ Robby. Ofcourse. I should’ve known.  _

“Robby’s sick.” Johnny said, stating the obvious. “I’ve been up all night and I guess I just lost track of time.”

That guy simply never stopped being a pain in Miguel’s ass. 

* * *

Miguel hadn’t thought about the possibility. In fact, he did his best to avoid thinking about Robby as much as possible. That always got him in a real bad mood. Sure, both of their lives orbited around Johnny, but on opposite sides so that they’d see as little of each-other as possible. 

Last summer had been a lesson for the both of them - a lesson in how bad things could get if they let their emotions get the better of them. Miguel had recovered and Robby had paid his dues and things were more or less back to how they were before - and they had an unspoken agreement to give each-other as wide a berth as possible. They both wanted Johnny in their lives, but that didn’t have to include each-other. 

So it was like a divorced couple sharing custody - except, they’d never been married and there was no actual agreement and Johnny was their father-figure instead of their kid. Still, the arrangement had fallen into place anyway and it worked for the both of them. Miguel got Johnny during the days - at Cobra Kai or when Robby was off working at LaRusso Auto or training at Miyagi-Do. And Robby got the evenings and the nights. The weekends still flipped between them, but luckily, Robby was often off to the LaRusso’s then as well, leaving Johnny all to Miguel. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. And they were both smart enough to respect this tacit agreement. 

Or atleast Miguel was. 

Robby had breached their agreement yesterday. Afternoons were Miguel’s time with Johnny and Robby had shown back up hours before he was supposed to. Miguel had been looking forward to an afternoon spent with his Sensei and Robby had intruded on  _ their  _ time. 

“Mr. LaRusso sent me back because he thinks I’m falling sick.” Robby had explained his presence, sounding clogged up. 

“You don’t look so good.” Johnny had replied, concerned. That had been true - Robby had looked flushed and he’d sounded worse. “Do you need something? Can’t have you falling sick before - ”

“I’m not sick.” Robby had insisted angrily. “I don’t get sick. I’m just a little tired. I just need to sleep it off. You guys can go back to doing whatever...”

Robby had stumbled into his room with that and Miguel had watched him go in with relief. If Robby said he was fine, then there was no reason for him to give up his time with Sensei. 

No such luck. 

“I think you better go.” Sensei had told him right away. “I need to take care of this.”

“He said he was fine.” Miguel had replied, annoyed. He didn’t want Robby to think that this was a card he could pull at any time - just fake a cough to get Johnny’s undivided attention. That was a card he knew he would never be able to play. Not with his mom such a pro in these matters. 

“He doesn’t look fine.” Johnny had replied distractedly. He was already shuffling through the drawers, looking for medicine. “And you don’t want to catch whatever he has.”

Miguel had been irritated by that, but then, he put it out of his mind. Obsessing over Robby Keene wasn’t worth his time. It was much better to pretend that the guy didn’t exist at all. 

If only Sensei could learn to do the same. 

* * *

“Come in for a bit.” Sensei was saying now. 

“How bad is it?” Miguel asked as he answered the invitation. That was the polite thing to do, right? If someone was sick you had to ask about them. 

“Bad.” Johnny replied. “It’s a viral fever. He’s got a temperature and he’s delirious. And he can’t keep anything down.”

“Shouldn’t he be in the hospital then?” 

“I took him to the emergency room last night.” Johnny said. “But the doctor said there was nothing to worry about. He prescribed some meds and said the worst would pass in a day or two. It’s just… I hate seeing him like this.”

Miguel nodded. Well, that was one mystery solved, atleast. And they could miss a day of karate. No big deal. 

“I’ll update the others.” Miguel said, trying to be helpful. “I’ll tell them to come back tomorrow.”

“No - tell them it might take a few days.” Johnny said, slumping down on the couch, exhausted. “I’ll tell them when the classes are starting back up again.”

Miguel stood there, frowning, fingers frozen over his phone.

“The doctor said he’d be fine by tomorrow, right?”

“He said the worst would be over.” Johnny repeated. “Robby will still be sick and I’m not leaving him alone until he is all better.”

“Sensei, you can’t!” Miguel was aghast. “The tournament is coming up in just a few weeks. And we need all the practice we can get.”

Johnny was looking at him like he had just grown a second head. 

“Miguel. Robby is sick and I’m not leaving him until he is okay again.” Johnny explained, as if to a five year old. “The tournament doesn’t matter.”

It was no use, Miguel thought, despairing. This was Sensei’s weakness talking - his guilt for not having been there for Robby all this time. He was overcompensating to make up for it. And now it was starting to affect other areas of his life. 

Because the tournament did matter. It mattered a lot. It hadn’t been easy getting Cobra Kai up and running again after Kreese’s takeover. Sure, a lot of students hadn’t gone over in the first place and a bunch of others had come back after seeing what kind of monster Kreese was. But some of the best ones - like Hawk and Tory - had stayed because Kreese had brainwashed them with empty promises of making them winners. 

That was why they had to win the tournament this time. To prove once and for all that Johnny Lawrence was the superior sensei. And maybe before Miguel might've been more confident, but after his fall and recovery, he knew he wasn’t as strong as he used to be. 

He still needed to win this. They needed to win this. For Cobra Kai. For his friends. To save those who’d been corrupted by Kreese. And for himself as well. To prove to himself that he wasn’t broken after all. There was too much riding on this tournament. 

And Sensei was willing to throw it all away for what? Robby Keene?

It’d be one thing if it’d been someone else, but Robby Keene was an ungrateful asshole. Miguel saw that in the way he treated Sensei. He never appreciated all the time and effort Sensei was putting into him. Miguel hated seeing Sensei act so pathetic and desperate - Cobras were supposed to be better than that. 

But trying to convince him of that was a lost cause and now it looked like the tournament might become one too. 

“Sensei, we have to focus on what’s important.” Miguel tried again.

“I am.” Johnny replied, tiredly leaning back. 

_ No, you got it all wrong. Robby isn’t important - the tournament is. _

“He’s not four.” Miguel tried a different angle. “He doesn’t need a baby-sitter. He can take care of himself.”

That was true, right? Sure Carmen always dropped everything to take care of Miguel when he was sick, but that was different. She was a mom. It was in her nature to go oerboard. And honestly, Miguel wished she wouldn’t. He didn’t need his mommy fussing over him every time he got the sniffles. 

Surely Robby felt the same way, even though Johnny clearly didn’t. 

“He has had to do that a lot already.” Johnny replied. “And he shouldn’t have to.”

* * *

Whatever argument Miguel could’ve thought of to counter that was interrupted by a soft cough from behind them. Johnny was already looking past him and getting up and Miguel turned around to see Robby standing in the hallway swaying on his feet. 

_ Wow! The guy does not look good,  _ Miguel thought to himself. Robby was standing there just in his blue-checked boxers, looking like he was still half-asleep. He was pale as a sheet with splotches of red all over his chest, abs and shoulders. His hair was a mess and his face was flushed and he leaned heavily against the wall as if he was going to fall over if he let go. His eyes were half-lidded and drowsy and he was looking at them with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“Robby, you shouldn’t be up.” Johnny was already by his side, gently pushing at his shoulder. “Get back to bed.”

“Don’t touch me!” Robby said, sharply and jerked away like he’d just been burned. 

Miguel frowned in annoyance. Even sick and delirious, the guy couldn’t help but be an asshole to his dad. Why would Johnny ever put up with someone like that? Why would he consider him so important?

As far as Miguel was concerned, Johnny should’ve just kicked him out until he came back with an improved attitude. 

“Alright.” Johnny said, pulling his hand back. “But get back to bed. You need to rest.”

Robby shook his head stubbornly. 

“Need to… get to work.” He said, trying to clear his head. “Mr. LaRusso is counting on me.”

“LaRusso can survive a day without you.” Johnny assured him, giving him some space.

But Robby was still adamant. 

“I need to prove… something.” He said. “Tournament is coming. Need to be ready. It’s important.”

_ See Sensei?  _ Miguel thought smugly.  _ Even he thinks the tournament is more important. _

“You are not going anywhere like this.” Johnny said, sharply. “You are sick and you need to rest. You can get back to training once you are better.”

“I’m not sick!” Robby said hotly with a stubborn set of the jaw. “I don’t get sick. Just need some fresh air and I’ll be fine.”

Miguel couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it. And immediately got an annoyed look from Johnny in return.

“C’mon, Sensei. It’s a little funny.” He said, abashed and gesturing at Robby. “He's like that and he still thinks he isn’t sick?”

But Johnny found nothing amusing about that at all. 

“You don’t get it.” Johnny said, frowning. 

Whatever explanation was forthcoming was waylaid once Robby took the chance to go around Johnny and head towards the door. 

_ Let him,  _ Miguel almost said.  _ Let him walk out into the streets in just his underwear and take a few pictures while you are at it. If he is that ungrateful about you taking care of him, then that’s what he deserves.  _

But Johnny was on him before he was even at the door, gently, but firmly grabbing him by the wrists. 

“I need to go.” Robby kept insisting, drowsily. “Gotta work.”

“Alright! That’s it.” Johnny finally lost his patience. 

Johnny pulled him in by the wrist and grabbed him around the waist, physically lifting him up. 

“No! Lemme go!” Robby still continued his feeble attempts to disentangle himself, but Johnny was having none of that. He held Robby until the protests died out and adjusted his grip under his butt. 

Robby finally gave in, wrapping his arms and legs around Johnny and burying his face in his neck. Johnny carried him into his room like that and Miguel followed them, somehow keeping his amusement in check. 

He should’ve taken pictures then, he thought. This was prime blackmail material - Robby being carried to his room as if he was seven, not seventeen. The guy would’ve never lived down the humiliation. But Miguel knew Sensei was going to have none of that, so he settled for a mental picture instead. 

* * *

The air in the room hit Miguel like a brick wall. Now  _ this  _ was a sick person’s room. Dingy and dark, hot and humid. Claustrophobic. With the smell of sick permeating the air. It made Miguel’s skin crawl. 

He couldn’t go in. Instead, he stood there in the doorway and watched as Johnny deposited Robby back in the bed and pulled the covers over him. 

“I hate you.” Robby murmured, squirming under the sheets. 

“Yeah, well, I don’t give a shit.” Johnny replied, making sure Robby was tucked in quietly. 

And Miguel had to bite his tongue to avoid commenting on that. Why did Sensei insist on putting himself through that? That’s what he didn’t understand. 

Sure, he understood the logic behind it. Johnny felt guilty for his years of failure and wanted to make up for them. But there was a line, right? A limit to how much rejection a guy could take while still retaining his self-respect? Sensei shouldn’t be letting Robby walk all over him like that. 

Especially after everything the guy had done. 

Sure, Robby wasn’t a monster. He was just a messed up kid who’d screwed up. They all had. The fight had been bad and anyone could’ve gotten hurt like that. And they were all responsible to some extent. Including Miguel. Even his mom agreed on that much. So it wouldn’t be fair to put all the blame on Robby. 

But the guy did bear some responsibility. He had screwed up after all. Why wasn’t Sensei punishing him for that? How was it fair that he got away with it with just a few months of community service? 

Maybe Miguel would’ve found Robby more palatable had the guy acted more guilty and contrite. Not to him - he got all the guilty looks from Robby that he could've wanted - but to Johnny. Robby was the reason why Johnny had lost Cobra Kai to Kreese, after all. If he’d just accepted Miguel’s mercy, Kreese wouldn’t have had his opening. 

That’s what Miguel couldn’t understand. He knew Johnny cared about Cobra Kai. And he knew Johnny cared about him. And Johnny had almost lost both because of Robby. So why wasn’t he pissed about that? Why wasn’t he blaming Robby? Punishing him? Was Robby supposed to get away with everything just because he was his son?

Robby should be the one begging for forgiveness and acceptance and Sensei should be the one withholding it until he fixed his mistakes - not the other way around. This dynamic between them was totally backwards. 

“This is expired.” Johnny said, looking down at a bottle of medication in his hand. 

“Sensei?” Miguel asked from the doorway. 

Robby had settled down for a bit and Johnny had been going through the drawers - apparently looking for meds. 

“This is way past its expiry date.” Johnny explained, shaking the bottle and making the pills inside rattle. “I knew I had the stuff the doctor prescribed but I didn’t know.... Did this make it worse? Is that why he isn’t getting better?”

“I don’t think it works like that.” Miguel said comfortingly. 

“I need to get more.” Johnny said, more to himself. It was like Miguel wasn’t even there. “I need to buy more meds. And some food. He’ll need to eat and I don’t think I have anything healthy at home. Maybe get some soup...”

He was almost at the door, rambling to himself, before he stopped and turned to look at his fidgeting son. 

“I can’t leave him like this.” Johnny said, looking around as if he could find a solution in the room. 

Miguel had one. Not that he wanted to do Robby Keene any favors, but this was in their aligned interests. The sooner Robby got better, the sooner Sensei would return to Cobra Kai and what really mattered. 

“I could go buy this stuff for you.” He offered. 

Johnny looked at him, considering and then shook his head. 

“You need to be an adult to buy this medication.” He explained. “They are not gonna sell this stuff to a kid.”

“Oh...”

For once, Miguel wished he was one of those “bad” kids who had fake IDs for drinking. Because the alternative here was going to be hell. 

Miguel sighed. This was for Sensei, he told himself, not for Robby. He wouldn’t lift a finger for Keene, but he’d do anything for Sensei. Even this. 

“Maybe I could stay with him while you buy the stuff?” Miguel suggested, hesitatingly. 

Johnny looked relieved and that alone made it worth it. 

“You sure?”

“Yes.” A barefaced lie. “I mean, he’s out of it already, right? I’ll probably just have to sit here until you come back.”

Johnny nodded and patted him on the shoulder. 

“Thanks, Miguel. I’ll be quick.” He said. “Just keep him alive until I get back.”

Miguel swelled with pride at the approval.  _ Just keep him alive, right? I can do that.  _


	2. Chapter 2

Not even five minutes had passed since Miguel had heard the car rumble away and he was already regretting his offer. He tried to distract himself with his phone, but Robby kept twisting and turning in the sheets constantly, making it impossible for him to focus on anything else. And every now and then, these weird noises came from inside of him that made Miguel nervous. He pushed the trashcan closer to the bed with his foot, hoping that Robby would have enough presence of mind to point himself that way if he threw up again. 

Every now and then, Robby stared at him with vacant, red-ringed eyes as if he had no idea who Miguel was or what he was doing there. Which he probably didn’t.

“Where’s my mom?” Robby asked drowsily.

Miguel rolled his eyes. He sounded so childish.

“She’s...” He didn’t finish.

Where  _ was  _ his mom? Why wasn’t  _ she  _ there, taking care of him? Robby did have a mom, right? He had never thought about it, but now that he did…

Miguel knew Robby had been staying with the LaRusso’s before moving in with Sensei, but that hadn’t been forever. He didn’t know all the details but Robby hadn’t been Daniel’s student for that long. So he must have been living with his mom before that, since he certainly wasn’t living with Sensei. 

Had something gone wrong there? Why wasn’t Robby living with his mom anymore?

“She’s not here.” Miguel finished, frowning. “Don’t worry. Sensei will be back soon.”

“Don’t want him.” Robby murmured. “Hate him.”

So easy, Miguel thought. It would be so easy. All he’d have to do would be to pick up a pillow and press down on him. Robby was so weak right now. He’d have no strength to fight back. His feeble struggles would stop within minutes and just like that, all of Miguel’s problems would be solved. 

_ I’m so sorry, Sensei. I don’t know what happened. He was fine one moment. Sleeping peacefully. And then he started coughing and choking like he couldn’t breathe. I called 911 right away, I really did. But they were too late. He was already dead by the time they came. I’m really sorry, Sensei. _

Miguel smiled, shaking his head. Nothing wrong with some harmless fantasizing, right? Especially since he didn’t want to be here in the first place. 

Well, since he was putting himself through all this, then it was only fair that he should get something out of it. And Robby did seem pretty loopy. His usual defenses were completely down. 

“Hey Robby. What’s your most embarrassing memory?” Miguel asked, grinning mischievously. 

“Embarrassing?” Robby blinked at him.

“Y’know - any time you felt humiliated?” 

It looked like Robby was actually thinking about it. This could be so juicy - maybe something like a time he made a spectacle of himself asking a girl out to dance and she turned him down? Whatever it was, Miguel could definitely use it to hold over the guy’s head in the future. 

“I guess… when Miguel had me on the floor.” Robby said. “Everyone laughed at me for being a loser.”

Miguel’s smile disappeared. That wasn’t what he was expecting. 

“Well, I showed you mercy.” He snapped. “You should’ve left it at that.”

Robby didn’t seem to hear him. 

“It wasn’t fair.” He mumbled. “I was trying to do the right thing. Stop the fighting. Protect Sam.  _ He  _ attacked me. He shouldn’t get to win.”

Miguel shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had made a mistake that day - he’d realized that later. He had known what Tory was about to do and he’d rushed there to stop her. He should’ve kept his focus on that. But the moment he’d seen Robby’s hands on her… well, if Robby was allowed to lose his temper then so was he, right?

Still, maybe things wouldn’t have escalated had he kept his cool and stayed on mission from the start. After all, it sounded like Robby was trying to do the same thing. 

“It’s not fair.” Robby continued mumbling. “He’s an asshole. He attacks me for no reason. He fights dirty. He steals my clothes. He kisses my girlfriend. And everyone still loves him more. It’s not fair.”

Miguel was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. This was not the direction he was expecting the conversation to go. And he didn’t like it at all - looking at himself through Robby’s eyes. He didn’t like what he saw. 

He knew who he was and he wasn’t that guy. Not the one Robby was describing. He was a good person and he’d always tried to be nice to others. Sure, he’d done those things, but those had been the exceptions to the rule. They did not define him. 

Except, apart from a few awkward conversations, that was the only side of him that Robby had seen. The one that had actually left an impact. So Miguel could hardly blame him for making his judgment on that. He didn’t care much for Robby’s opinion of him, but he still hated the idea of anyone thinking of him as the bad guy. 

“Sam doesn’t love me more, alright?” Miguel said, hoping that was nice enough. “We are not together anymore.”

“Not Sam. Dad.” Robby said, shaking his head. “Why doesn’t he love me?”

That was just ridiculous. That had to be the fever talking. There was no other possible explanation.

“Of course he loves you, dude.” Miguel snapped. 

This was getting weird now and not just because he was talking about this stuff with Robby Keene of all people. Real men didn’t talk about shit like this. They didn’t talk about feelings and love and caring. They showed it through their actions. That’s what Sensei had taught him. 

But Robby seemed beyond all decorum now as he pouted at Miguel stubbornly. 

“He doesn’t care.” He said. “He let Miguel steal from me.”

_ What fresh hell is this?  _ Robby had said something about stealing clothes a moment ago and Miguel had dismissed it as the fever talking. But there it was again. 

“What did I ever steal from you?” Miguel asked, curious.

“Not you. Miguel.”

Miguel rolled his eyes. The guy was so out of it that he didn’t even realize who he was talking to. How could he even trust that Robby’s mind wasn’t just making shit up?

“Right - what did Miguel steal from you?”

“He stole my gi.” Robby replied. 

Miguel sighed, shaking his head. He should’ve known. Ramblings from a fevered brain…

“Dad said he’d give it to me when he taught me karate.” Robby continued.

Miguel frowned. Did he mean…?

“Sensei’s karate gi?”

Robby nodded. 

“He said he’d give me his stuff when I grew up. His gi. His red jacket.” He added. “But he gave it all to Miguel instead.”

That’s what he meant by stealing his clothes? Robby had just assumed that Sensei would be giving him all that stuff and now he was pissed that Miguel had gotten it instead. 

Except, he hadn’t. Sure Robby had seen him in that jacket when they’d run into each-other that day at the skating rink, but Miguel had just borrowed it. As for the gi…

“How do you know Sensei gave me the gi?” Miguel asked. And then corrected himself. “I mean - gave Miguel the gi?”

“Saw them.” Robby replied. “I went to talk to dad about staying with him, but he was with Miguel. So I went to Mr. LaRusso instead.”

So was that how it started? That was just so.... petty. It was just stuff, right. Just a pair of old pajamas, basically. Miguel hardly even wore it anymore - choosing to practice in his new pair that his mom had bought him. The thing was threadbare already and it felt like it could rip apart one good yank. No need to get your panties in a bunch over it. If Robby wanted it so badly then he could…

... Not have it. Miguel was never going to part with that gi, he realized. It didn’t matter that it was basically a pair of old pajamas, what was important was what it represented. 

That was the first time Sensei had been proud of him - fully and unconditionally. Sure there had been many other moments where his actions had met with Sensei’s approval - but that first one was still special. And Miguel could remember that feeling every time he saw that pair of washed and pressed cotton folded up in his cupboard. Those “rags” were a symbol of Sensei’s pride in him, of his love for him and there was no chance Miguel was ever giving that up for any reason. 

And that’s what Robby wanted too, Miguel realized with a stab of guilt. This wasn’t about some old fashion-challenged clothing - it was about having Johnny’s love and approval. That’s what Miguel had really stolen from him. 

But he hadn’t. He hadn’t stolen anything. Everything Sensei had given him had been given freely. And they didn’t belong to Robby. It was Sensei’s choice whom to give it to. 

“I’m sure if you ask your dad for it...” Miguel said, tightly. 

Sensei wouldn’t actually do it, would he? Ask Miguel for his gi back so Robby could wear it?

“I’m not gonna beg.” Robby replied. “And he wouldn’t give me anyway. He loves Miguel more.”

Miguel huffed in frustration. How he wished that was true? He’d done everything possible to win Sensei’s approval. Obeyed every order, followed every advice, helped in every way he could think of. He knew he deserved it - but Sensei clearly cared about Robby more. 

* * *

Robby made a gurgling sound and leaned over to the side of the bed, retching and Miguel jumped back in alarm. The guy’s face was nowhere near the trashcan and Miguel didn’t want to get caught in the splash zone. Nothing came out though. Robby probably had nothing left in the tank, Miguel thought as he warily observed him through the coughing fit. He still wasn’t going to risk his new sneakers, however. 

“Dude, point to the trash if you are gonna be sick.” He said, maintaining his distance. 

“I’m not sick.” Robby insisted again. “I don’t get sick.”

Miguel rolled his eyes. Not this again. 

“Yeah? Why not?” He smirked. “Because you have a superhuman immune system?”

“Mom can’t afford it.” Robby replied sullenly. “Can’t be a burden.”

What kind of logic was that? He couldn’t get sick if his mom couldn’t afford it? So poor people couldn’t get sick at all? That was just ridiculous. Rich or poor, kids got sick all over the world and their parents took care of them no matter the cost. That was just how things worked. 

_ You don’t get it,  _ Sensei’s words came back to him and he realized his mistake. 

It wasn’t that Robby thought he couldn’t get sick - he just thought he couldn’t admit to it. So that he wouldn’t be a burden to anyone. And wasn’t that fucked up in its own way? Miguel had never felt like that - not once in his whole life. He got sick and his mom was there to care for him. That was just how things worked. 

So how many times had this happened before with Robby? How many times had he gotten sick and simply waited it out, not telling anyone, getting better on his own, so as not to put anyone out? And what kind of mother ever let that happen?

And where was she anyway? Miguel knew his mom would’ve never stayed away had he ever been this bad.

“Hey… so… Sensei never actually told me anything about your mom.” Miguel decided to ask. “Is she… around?”

Robby blinked, trying to think. 

“Cabo. With Rick.” 

_ On a vacation? No - that can’t be right. _

“For work.”

“No - not Cabo. Rehab.” Robby continued his train of thought.

_ Oh… OH.... That explains a lot. _

“I’m sorry, man. But your dad will be back soon and...” Miguel thought hard about what to say next. “And he really cares about you.”

Robby just shook his head stubbornly in response, not even looking up at him. 

“He does.” Miguel insisted. “He wouldn’t be taking care of you if he didn’t.”

“He has to. The judge said so.” Robby countered. 

That was news to Miguel. Sure, it made sense that there would be conditions attached to Robby’s plea deal, but he hadn’t expected this to be one of them. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Miguel said, shaking his head. “He still wants you around. He always has.”

“Then why didn’t he ask before?” Robby replied. 

Miguel was at a loss for words after that. It couldn’t be true, could it? That Sensei was only keeping Robby around because a judge was forcing him to? No - Sensei cared. Truly and deeply. He wouldn’t be putting this much effort into it, spending this much time with Robby, if he didn’t. 

Still, it now made sense why Robby would still be skeptical. If Sensei was only making the effort now and that too after being told to do so by a judge…

Miguel tried to think of something to say. Anything to convince Robby otherwise. Not that it was going to be of much use - Robby would likely forget this conversation ever happened the next day. But he still felt like he needed to say something to comfort Robby. 

_ Why? Why do I feel like that? I hate the guy, right? I should hate the guy? What do I care whether or not he knows that his dad loves him? _

There was still a tightness in his chest. He hadn’t known all this before. Yes, Sensei had told him that he’d failed Robby but Miguel had just figured that he meant not being around as much as he’d have liked. And he’d figured it wasn’t that big of a deal. He’d never known his dad either - but his mom and yaya had always been more than enough for him. Why wouldn’t it be the same for Robby? Except, it clearly wasn’t. Not if things were bad enough for his mom to have to go to rehab. 

Miguel never should’ve made the offer to stay. He should’ve offered that he’d ask his mom to go buy the stuff instead. Things were fine as they were - they hated each-other and avoided each-other and everything was working smoothly. And now it was like… like…

“Like you are a person.” Miguel said, musing. “Like you are a real person.”

_ Crap. Did I say that out loud? _

Robby didn’t seem to understand him, thankfully. He was still looking up at him with curious, vacant eyes. 

So how was this supposed to work now? Miguel didn’t want to give up any of his time with Sensei. He didn’t want to let Robby guilt him into anything. No - Robby wasn’t even trying to do that. Miguel was guilting himself into it. And that would just be ridiculous. 

It might not be so bad if they weren’t still dead set on avoiding each-other. But that wasn’t going to happen either. Once Robby got better, he’d go right back to being that smug, surly jackass and that was something Miguel simply couldn’t put up with. 

And then there was Sam. Sure neither of them was with her at the moment, but Robby had still moved in on his girlfriend when he was still with her. None of this shit would’ve started had he not done that. 

* * *

_ Wait a second....  _ Robby had seen him before. Before Miguel had seen him. That’s what he just said, right? That he’d watched Johnny give Miguel his gi? All this time, Miguel had thought that he had started the feud when he had seen Robby at the LaRussos’ having dinner with Sam - but maybe Robby had been the one to start it after all. Because Miguel wasn’t even with Sam back then.

“Did you go after Sam because you were jealous of me?” Miguel asked. He had to know and Robby was in no condition to hide anything from him. “To get back at me because you thought I stole your dad?”

“Sam was a mistake.” Robby mumbled in reply. “She loves him. Not me.”

_ Not what I asked.  _

“Hey, focus.” Miguel said, leaning closer. “Why did you go after Sam?”

“It was a mistake.” Robby shifted uncomfortably. “I said no. Didn’t want to mess things up with Mr. LaRusso. Didn’t think he’d like it. Things were good. Shouldn’t have changed my mind.”

“So why did you?” Miguel asked, frowning. 

“I liked her.” Robby replied. “She said she was over you. And you were going out with someone else. Didn’t think Mr. LaRusso would mind.”

Miguel chewed his lip, trying to fit the pieces together. 

This was pretty much the same as what Sam had told him during her hospital visits. That Robby had simply been a friend. That she had been the one to make a move on him first. And that was long after she’d broken up with Miguel. 

He hadn’t believed her, ofcourse. He knew how guys like Robby operated. Sensei had told him all about the “let’s be friends” move and Miguel had used it himself to start things off with Sam. So he’d figured that’s what Robby had done as well - pretended to be her friend, pretended to be helpful, all the while undermining and trash-talking him behind his back while flirting with her every chance he got. And then waited for him to make a mistake so he could pounce on the opportunity. 

But he hadn’t done that. And it wasn’t because of Miguel either. He hadn’t wanted to screw things up with his Sensei and that… made a lot of sense. So he must be telling the truth and Miguel had had it all wrong. 

God! Why were things getting so messed up? 

“You still took her from me.” Miguel said petulantly, trying to hold on to his anger. 

“She doesn’t belong to you.” Robby replied. “She can go out with whoever she wants.”

“Well, the same goes for your dad too.” Miguel retorted. “He doesn’t belong to you either.”

“I know.” Robby said morosely. “He belongs to you.”

_ That’s not what I… for fuck’s sake. _

Miguel sat back on the chair and resolutely looked away. 

_ Just don’t talk to him anymore. The more you talk to him, the less you’ll hate him. And the more you’ll hate yourself for having hated him. Just hold on to whatever anger you have left for now and it’ll all be okay tomorrow. He’ll get back to being an asshole once he is fine and this whole thing would be like a bad dream.  _


	3. Chapter 3

When the hell was Sensei coming back? It’d been over an hour already. Miguel looked at his phone again. An hour and a half. He should’ve been back ages ago. 

Robby wasn’t in the mood to do much talking, thankfully. He kept twisting and turning in the sheets, constantly trying to find a comfortable position but never getting there. He kept groaning and every now and then, he’d seize up with a coughing fit and that was really starting to freak Miguel out. Sensei would never forgive him if Robby actually died on his watch. 

And every now and then, he’d open his eyes and stare at Miguel for a while. That part was the most uncomfortable. It was like some conscious part of him knew that Miguel wasn’t the one who was supposed to be there and the same part didn’t want him there either. Miguel steadfastly kept his eyes glued to the phone every time it happened, but he could still feel the weight of the stare. 

“I’m sorry.” Robby whispered.

Miguel hmmed without looking up. Let the guy ramble himself out.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Robby went on. “I’d do anything to take it back.”

Miguel sighed.  _ Be strong. Don’t give in. He should feel guilty - don’t let him feel better about himself.  _

“That’s why he hates me.” Robby said, turning away. “He’s never gonna forgive me for what I did.”

_ God-fucking-dammit.  _

“He doesn’t hate you.” Miguel said, sullenly. 

The asshole wasn’t even listening to him. 

“I always mess things up. Everything.” He murmured into the pillow. “That’s why he never wanted me around.”

Miguel didn’t know what possessed him. It wasn’t like he really cared enough to comfort the guy. But he found his hand reaching out anyway to pat Robby on his bare shoulder. 

“Don’t touch me.” Robby almost screamed, rubbing the spot as if Miguel had just hit him there. 

Right… hypersensitivity. Miguel remembered that uncomfortable feeling. When you were sick even the air could feel like sandpaper against your skin. 

“Too hot.” Robby mumbled, throwing off the covers and getting up.

_ Not this again.  _ Miguel barely made, getting up and getting in between the sick boy and the bedroom door. 

“Whoa! Hey, hey!” He said, hoping that simply blocking his path would be enough to stop him. “Where do you think you are going?”

“I need to… need to… train.” Robby replied, swaying on his feet. “Fix things.”

“And how’s that supposed to work?” Miguel asked, shifting sideways to stay in Robby’s path as the guy tried to go around him. 

Robby stopped and stared at him and Miguel could see the wheels turning in his mind.

“Can’t let Kreese win.” Robby replied. “He’ll keep hurting people.”

_ He is thinking the same thing,  _ Miguel realized.  _ He’s participating for the same reason. _

“Doesn’t work like that, okay?” Miguel replied. “Sensei’s Cobra Kai is the one that has to win. You are not gonna fight for Cobra Kai, are you?”

“Can’t. Everyone there hates me.” Robby explained. “They’ll never come back if I’m there. But I still have to fix this. It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not, okay? It’s bigger than you - us. This isn’t on you to fix.”

What the hell was he saying? Barely an hour ago he had been the one thinking the opposite. That Robby was the one responsible for the fracturing of Cobra Kai and that he should be trying to make up for it to earn forgiveness. And now that Robby was practically saying the same thing, Miguel was disagreeing with him? How were things getting so turned around?

“Look, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is.” Miguel backtracked. “You are in no shape to fix anything. And it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Whether or not you fix things, Sensei wouldn’t feel any differently about you.”

It looked like Robby heard him this time. He stared at Miguel, taking his words in. 

“So he’s not gonna love me no matter what I do?”

“That’s not - No! It’s the opposite.” Miguel said, frustrated. “There is nothing you can do that will make him stop caring about you.”

He was banging his head against a brick wall. Robby was only half-hearing what he was saying and barely any of that was actually registering. He could argue till he was blue in the face and nothing would’ve changed tomorrow. 

“Just… get back to bed for now.” Miguel said, turning Robby around by the shoulders as gently as possible. Thankfully, the guy went with it this time. 

“That’s not what he said, you know?” Robby told him on his way back. “He said he was done with me.”

_ Did he?  _ Miguel found that hard to believe. It was probably something Robby misunderstood. But it was no use arguing over it.

“Well, he didn’t mean it.” Miguel said instead. “That I’m sure of.”

Robby let him gently push him onto the bed without much resistance. Miguel let him settle back in to make sure he wouldn’t make a beeline for the door again before turning around. That’s when he felt the tug - and looked down to see Robby’s hand gripping the hem of his shorts. 

“What is it now?” He asked, annoyed. 

Robby didn’t reply, didn’t even look at him. He just gripped the fabric tighter. Miguel tried to pull himself free, but Robby’s grip was surprisingly strong. 

“Dude - what do you need?” Miguel asked, tugging more insistently. 

“I’m cold.” Robby replied, still not looking up. “And… your hands were warm.”

“Then get under the covers.” Miguel suggested. 

Robby shook his head stubbornly. “Too hot.”

“Whatever Goldilocks.”

This was ridiculous, right? He should be making fun of the guy. Laughing at him for being a baby. Recording all of this for posterity. Then sharing the video with his friends and laughing some more. Then posting it on social media and making it go viral. That was the right response to this kind of thing.

Not… climbing into the bed behind him and wrapping his arms around the sick boy. 

“Don’t get used to this.” Miguel said, pulling him closer into his embrace. 

Robby sighed deeply and leaned back into his chest. It finally looked like he’d found a comfortable position as he buried his face in Miguel’s shoulder. Miguel leaned back into the headboard himself, hoping Robby would fall asleep soon so he could disentangle himself and get out of this uncomfortable situation he’d put himself in. 

Robby was hot. Unnaturally hot. Even through his shirt, Miguel could feel the heat coming off of him. He smelled of sweat and vapor-rub - a combination that tickled Miguel’s nose and almost made him sneeze. If he was this sick, then he likely wasn’t getting better anytime soon. 

Stupid idiot. If he’d just admitted to being sick right away, Sensei might’ve caught it in time and things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. But no, he just had to be the macho tough guy, didn’t he?

* * *

Robby was looking back up at him with wide eyes. 

“What now?” Miguel asked, exasperated. 

Robby surged up and before Miguel knew it, there were warm lips on him, kissing him almost desperately. His hold on the half-naked boy loosened and Robby climbed on to his lap, arms around his neck, clinging on for dear life and never breaking the kiss. 

Miguel was too shocked to react. Atleast that’s what he told himself later. Sure Sensei had taught them to react to surprise attacks, to adjust and adapt quickly to any situation - but that didn’t apply to something like this, did it? What was he supposed to do? Push the guy away and make him feel bad about himself?

_ Why the hell not?  _

Robby broke the kiss of his own accord and Miguel stared at him open-mouthed. He hadn’t realized it before, but somehow his arms had ended up wrapped around Robby’s slim waist, holding him close. Instead of at his chest, pushing him away, as they should’ve been. Robby was looking at him expectantly, eager and scared at the same time and Miguel racked his brain trying to think of the right thing to say in this situation.

“Maybe we should hmpfff - ”

Robby didn’t let him finish. His mouth was back on Miguel, hot and needy and desperate. Miguel turned his head away with some effort but that didn’t deter the other boy at all. His lips were at his neck now, licking and sucking as Miguel moaned and arched up, grinding his groin into Robby’s. 

_ I don’t hate this,  _ Miguel realized.  _ Why don’t I hate this? Why am I not disgusted or freaked out?  _

It wasn’t the gay thing. Miguel was sure of that atleast. Sure he’d always thought of himself as straight but he wasn’t closed off to new experiences. It was 2019 after all and people were a lot more open about this stuff than they used to be. 

But this was Robby Keene on top of him. His enemy. The guy he hated most in the world. He should be repulsed by the very thought of having him squirming on his lap and yet, he wasn’t.

And apparently, neither was Robby. 

_ He probably doesn’t even know who I am. _

Sure, Robby had stopped referring to him in the third person a while ago, but that didn’t mean anything. The guy was delirious. 

“Is this okay?” Robby asked, breaking off again to catch his breath. He was breathing hard and he was more flushed than before. 

That was his out, Miguel realized. This was wrong on every possible level - even though it didn’t feel like it. But he could put a stop to it right away. Tell Robby that no, it was not okay and that they shouldn’t be doing this. 

“Yes.” That couldn’t be his voice, could it? “More than okay.”

What was he saying? And what was he doing? It was like he was possessed. His hands moved on their own, slipping inside Robby’s boxers from behind and kneading the warm flesh. It couldn’t be his fingers, could it? The ones that were trailing down the crack and rubbing around the furled entrance, making Robby moan into his mouth?

Did Robby feel the same way? Did he know that it was his hand under Miguel’s shirt, scratching its way up his abs to his chest? Did he know what he was doing and who he was doing it with? Or was it all down to the fever?

Germs did weird things to your body - Miguel knew that. It made no sense being horny like this when you felt that crappy, but there it was. Your body needed the comfort of a human touch and mixed-up the signals it was getting. That was probably what was happening here - the “who” didn’t matter. Robby just needed someone warm and comforting and Miguel was the only one there. 

_ Don’t think about it too hard,  _ a voice said in his head.  _ This is just about sex and comfort. Doesn’t need to mean anything more than that.  _

And Miguel listened. He finally gave in to the kiss, letting Robby in and Robby clung to him more desperately than ever. 

Robby had to come up for air at some point. And the moment he did, Miguel whipped his own shirt off. Robby was looking down at him - staring really - and Miguel liked what he saw in his face. The admiration, the wonder.... the need. 

Robby leaned in for more but Miguel stopped him this time with his hand at his chest. 

“You’re sure about this, right?” Miguel asked. He knew the answer already but he still needed to make sure. 

“Yes. Please.” Robby begged and Miguel could feel his heart pounding against his palm. 

_ No holding back now. _

Miguel flipped them in one smooth motion, putting Robby on his back. And then he pulled off his boxers rest of the way, leaving Robby completely naked and vulnerable under him. Robby arched and bared his throat to him and Miguel dove in, sucking at his collar-bone. He felt Robby’s hands on his own elastic waistband, pulling his shorts and underwear down to his thighs. 

Robby whimpered when Miguel grabbed his cock. Actually whimpered. More like cried, really. And it made Miguel let go of him right away. 

“Does it hurt?” He asked, concerned. 

Robby nodded. 

“Don’t stop.” He said, insistently bucking his hips upwards until his moist head touched Miguel’s. Then he wrapped his legs around Miguel’s waist and pulled him in closer until their dicks were rubbing together. 

_ This feels amazing,  _ Miguel thought, grinding his crotch into Robby’s.  _ Is it the fever? _

Robby was hot as a furnace against him. His cock practically burning against Miguel’s relatively cooler one. He was making desperate, needy sounds and Miguel loved eking those noises out of him. Droplets of sweat were forming under his lower lip and Miguel licked the salt off. They were both sweating now and it made everything wet and slick and messy in all the right ways. 

Robby came with a cry, clinging to Miguel so hard that he couldn’t breath for a moment. He could feel Robby’s cock pulsing and spurting against his own, making things even slicker between them. 

And Miguel didn’t stop. He got up to his knees, taking Robby with him as the other boy clung to him. He held him aloft with his hands under his ass and continued to thrust against him. Moments later, Miguel was cumming too, painting Robby’s pale body with white once more. 

_ Did I make a mistake?  _ Miguel asked himself as he ran the damp washcloth through Robby’s pubes, cleaning him up.  _ Did I screw up real bad this time? _

The evidence of their recent activity was all cleaned away and Miguel was already dressed now. But the question still nagged at him as he pulled Robby’s boxers up. 

_ Did I… take advantage of him? _

Robby had been the one to start it. Hell, he’d practically begged for it. But he wasn’t himself. He was delirious and vulnerable. He didn’t know who he was or what he was doing. It was Miguel’s job as the caretaker to be responsible here. 

_ No - he needed comfort. Look at him. He was so fidgety before and he is lying down so peacefully now. I made him feel better and that’s a good thing.  _

What exactly were the rules here? And how was Miguel supposed to know them? Belatedly, he remembered his mother’s advice that if he wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing, then he shouldn’t be doing it at all. But that was of no use now - it was already done. 

What was Robby going to think the next day? What would he say or do when he remembered - if he remembered? Would he freak out? Would he accuse Miguel of taking advantage of him?

Whatever tomorrow might bring, the Robby right now was nothing but grateful. He looked up at Miguel with sleepy eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer again. 

“Stay with me.” He asked. 

And Miguel complied. He climbed into the bed behind him again and held him against his chest until the boy fell asleep for good. 

* * *

“This isn’t what it looks like, Sensei!” Miguel said, as quietly as possible, trying not to wake Robby up. 

He should’ve gotten up as soon as Robby had fallen asleep, but he’d liked being there like that - with a comfortable weight on top of him and soft, warm puffs of air tickling his neck. And before he knew it, he’d gotten drowsy too. He hadn’t even heard the car roll in and it was the sound of the bedroom door opening that had jerked him awake. 

It didn’t look good, right? Him holding Sensei’s almost naked son in his arms like that? Especially since Robby had sleep-squirmed his way halfway out of his boxers again. 

“I was just trying to comfort him.” Miguel explained.  _ No way Sensei is gonna fall for that. He can see the guilt written clearly on my face and now all hell's gonna break loose. _

But Johnny just smiled and nodded as Miguel gently extricated himself from his situation. He deposited the bag of medicine at the table by the bed before pulling Robby’s boxers back up, restoring his dignity. And then he pulled the covers over the sleeping boy. Robby shifted a little, but didn’t wake up and Johnny motioned at Miguel to leave. 

“Sensei, I really was just trying to comfort him.” Miguel insisted again as they got to the living room. 

“I know.” Johnny assured him. “I know you wouldn’t do anything wrong like that.”

Miguel didn’t feel the usual warm glow of pride at those words. He felt the sting of guilt instead. Because he had done something - and though he wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong, he already knew how Johnny would see it. 

“What took you so long?” Miguel asked with a hint of reproach. It should’ve only taken Johnny half an hour - not three. And if he’d gotten back sooner, nothing would’ve happened. 

“Traffic. Crowd.” Johnny shook his head, exasperated. “And a cop stopped me on the way back. I almost fell asleep at the wheel and swerved a little and the asshole thought I was driving drunk. Irony, huh?”

Considering how many times Sensei had gotten away with actually driving drunk, he’d say so. 

“I’m telling you - this day is turning out to be hell.” Johnny shook his head. “How was Robby while I was gone?”

“Loopy.” Miguel replied. “Didn’t know where he was or what was happening. But no trouble other than that.”

Johnny nodded in relief. “I’ll wake him up in a bit for his medicine. And get some food into him. See if he can keep it in him this time.”

Miguel nodded and sat down on the couch. He felt pretty drained as well. This afternoon had ended up being an unexpected emotional roller-coaster and his head was still swimming from everything that had happened. He couldn’t wait to be back in the privacy of his own room and start figuring shit out. 

“Sensei, you do care about him, right?” Miguel asked on impulse.

_ Where the hell did that come from? One afternoon with Robby and I start questioning Sensei? And everything I know to be true? How the hell did that happen? _

Johnny was offended by the question, as he should’ve been. But he answered anyway. 

“Ofcourse I care about him. He’s my son. I care about him more than anything.” He frowned. “Why? Did he say something?”

Miguel took a deep breath. Sensei should know how Robby felt, right? That he didn’t actually hate him? That he was afraid of being hated and that’s why he lashed out?

“He said the only reason you took him in was because the judge told you too.” Miguel replied. “And that you told him you were done with him.”

Johnny looked ashamed at that and that was not the reaction Miguel was expecting. And that gave him a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. It couldn’t possibly be true. 

“It wasn’t like that.” Johnny said, looking at the floor. “It was that day everything happened.”

He didn’t need to tell Miguel what day he was talking about. 

“I got back, drunk and pissed off and Robby was here.” Johnny explained. “And I kind of… lost it. I just laid into him - told him that if he hated me bad enough to destroy everything I cared about, then I was done trying to be his father.”

Miguel’s stomach churned at the thought of hearing those words come from Johnny. 

“I took it back the very next day.” Johnny added, quickly. “I apologized - told him that I didn’t mean any of it. But he doesn’t believe that, does he?”

Miguel winced in sympathy. He understood where Robby was coming from a lot better now, but he also got Johnny’s reaction. He’d lost a lot that day too - he was allowed to be emotional for one hot minute.

“I’m sure he will, in time.” Miguel said comfortingly. “You messed up, but you are making it right. I’m sure he will see that.”

“It’s not that easy. It was just my latest screw-up in a long line of screw-ups.” Johnny threw his head back, slumping back into the couch. “He was hurt and scared and he needed his dad to tell him that it was going to be okay. And I failed him again. I don’t know why I keep doing that. Why do I keep screwing up with him?”

Miguel didn’t know how to answer that. But then, Johnny didn’t really expect one from him. 

“Even with this...” Johnny waved his hand at the bedroom. “I should’ve taken care of him sooner.”

“You did.” Miguel said. Johnny had acted as soon as Robby had come home sick from the LaRusso’s. 

“I didn’t.” Johnny shook his head. “I thought he was looking a little pale the day before yesterday but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to make him feel weak.”

That was the right thing though, right? If it had turned out to be nothing, Johnny’s fussing would certainly not have been appreciated. 

“Anyway. This isn't something I should be laying on you.” Johnny said, getting up. “Thanks for today but I need to take it from here. You should go home and get some rest.”

Miguel nodded and left without another word. He had a lot of shit of his own to figure out. He could feel something in the pit of his stomach - a kind of fluttery tightness that he’d only ever felt once before. He knew what it meant, but made absolutely no sense at all. 

You couldn’t possibly go from hating someone to being in love with them within the space of one afternoon. 


	4. Robby

Everything hurt. Everything from the tips of his toenails to the ends of his hair. And it wasn’t the deep-seated ache in his muscles and bones that came from working out too hard. Nor was it the superficial pain from cuts or burns that could be soothed by a salve. It was just something in between - just under his skin, just beyond his reach, but not deep enough to be stretched out. 

Robby would’ve liked to stay in the bed all day, but that wasn’t an option either. 

He felt disgusting. The last two days had been a haze, but he remembered waking up hot and sweaty in the middle of the night with a cool, damp washcloth wiping his face and his chest. And the night had left him feeling dry and crusty and sticky. 

He needed to get clean. He needed to brush and shower and clean off the invisible muck clinging to his skin, making him stink like that. And that meant getting off his ass and pushing through the pain. 

Johnny was already puttering around in the kitchen as Robby made his way to the bathroom. He didn’t say anything, thankfully. Robby had been worried that his dad would insist on giving him a bath and he did not need that particular brand of humiliation on his record. 

* * *

Better. Much better. And cleaner. 

Ten minutes in the hot shower had done what hours of bedrest couldn’t and ache was already receding. The exhaustion, however, wasn’t going anywhere. 

But he’d still slept long enough - so with some effort, Robby pulled up a pair of fresh boxers and a t-shirt over his head and made his way into the kitchen. He knew he had to eat something, even though the thought of chewing and swallowing still made his stomach clench. That was another thing he remembered clearly from the last two days - the feeling of his muscles seizing up painfully as bitter bile made its way up his throat. And even the memory brought back the phantom pains. 

Still, he could feel the emptiness in his stomach and knew that he had to eat something to feel better. 

“Feeling better?” Johnny asked him as he made his way into the kitchen.

Robby grunted and nodded. He didn’t trust himself to actually speak at the moment - he was sure his voice would come out as an embarrassing squeak. 

“Good.” Johnny said, approvingly. “You should eat something. I got you some chicken noodle soup and hot coffee. Let’s see if you can keep it down this time.”

The smell of fresh coffee and hot soup hit Robby like a ton of bricks and immediately made his hunger pangs worse by a factor of ten. It was his own exhausted body that kept him from snatching the bowl and gulping it down in one go.

“Take it easy.” Johnny said as Robby slurped up the noodles and the bite-sized chicken pieces. “Slow, small bites.”

_ Shut up and let me eat,  _ Robby thought, annoyed, trying to focus on the bowl in front of him. He did slow down after a moment - as the hot liquids settled in his stomach, filling up the painful emptiness. He took a swig from the coffee mug and sighed in relief as it burned its way down his throat. 

Better. No - better than better. Robby couldn’t remember feeling this good in his life. 

He jerked a little as he felt Johnny’s cold hand against his face but somehow kept himself from shying away. His skin wasn’t as sensitive as before, but Johnny’s calloused palms still didn’t make for a particularly comforting touch. 

“I’m fine now.” Robby said, hoping he’d take his word for it. 

“You’re still a little warm.” Johnny replied, feeling up his neck. “But yeah - it’s better. You were burning up last night.”

Robby didn’t reply, choosing to focus on his soup instead. 

This was getting uncomfortable now. He didn’t like the way Johnny was hovering - watching him eat. He didn’t need this shit. He always could take care of himself. He was used to just popping a few pills from the medicine cabinet every time he felt under the weather and his mom never even knew that anything was wrong. 

Sure he hadn’t been this sick in a long, long while. Maybe not ever. But he got better, didn’t he? No reason to make a fuss.

Or lose any sleep. 

Robby could see that clearly on his dad’s face as well. He looked exhausted - pale and drawn with dark circles around his eyes. Hell, he looked sicker than Robby felt at the moment and that made Robby feel guilty. Johnny was doing him a favor by letting him stay there in the first place - Robby didn’t want to be even more of a hassle. 

And that wasn’t fair. He hadn’t asked Johnny to stay up for him. He’d have been just fine without all the fuss. 

“We can go for a drive later.” Johnny suggested. “Maybe some fresh air will make you feel better?”

The notion of getting out of the stuffy house did sound pretty good. But at the same time…

“It’s fine.” Robby replied. “I’ll get some air on my way to school.”

“Robby, it’s Saturday.” Johnny told him. “And it’s already past noon.”

_ Oh…?  _ He’d completely lost track of days and time. 

“Right. I need to get to LaRusso Auto.” Robby corrected himself immediately. “I’ve missed too much work already.”

“You can afford to miss more.” Johnny said, frowning. “Don’t worry - I already told Daniel that you are not coming back until you are back to normal. And he agreed. If you go there, he’s just gonna send you back.”

Robby frowned in annoyance but he didn’t have the energy to argue the point. So he tried a different track instead. 

“I can go on a walk by myself.” He said. “And you can go back to doing what you want.”

“What I want is to go on a drive with you.” Johnny told him. “Why are you fighting me on this?”

_ Because you don’t really want that.  _

“You don’t look so hot yourself, alright?” Robby said instead. “How about you just get some rest? No point in both of us getting sick.”

Johnny shook his head right away. “I need to be awake to take care of you.”

This was getting frustrating now.

“I’m not gonna fall over dead just because you decided to catch a few z’s.” Robby argued. 

“I know that.” Johnny snapped back. “But your fever can come back at any time and we need to stay on top of it. Will you wake me up the moment you start feeling worse?”

“Sure. Whatever.” Robby rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah - real convincing.” Johnny smirked back. 

“How about I hang out with him?” A new voice said from the couch.

Robby practically jumped out of the chair and turned to stare.  _ When did Miguel get here?  _ Robby hadn’t heard any knocks or the door open. Had he been there from the start - before Robby had even walked into the kitchen. How the hell had Robby not noticed him before?

And then he flushed red as the memories of yesterday hit him like a ton of bricks. 

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. That wasn’t real, was it? It was a dream. It had to be. It only felt real because it was a fever dream.  _

Prancing around in front of him in his underwear was bad enough. Telling Miguel of all people about Johnny and his own petty jealousies, that was worse. And then the kissing… and then practically humping him… then riding him like a bitch in heat… and then… then… Robby had never felt more mortified in his entire life. He could feel his ears burning red and for once, he was thankful that Johnny was paying attention to Miguel instead of him.

“Robby’s right. You really should get some rest, Sensei.” Miguel was saying. “I’ll hang out with him and I’ll wake you up the moment he gets worse.”

Johnny considered the offer for a while and thankfully, that gave Robby the opportunity to gather his thoughts and school his face. 

“You sure?” He asked Miguel. 

“Yeah.” Miguel replied confidently. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Robby?” Johnny asked, turning to him. 

“Uh - yeah. Sounds good.” Robby replied in a daze. He wasn’t even sure what he was agreeing to. The horrific scenes from yesterday kept playing in front of him over and over again. 

“Alright. Okay.” Johnny nodded, more to himself. “Just make sure he drinks plenty of fluids and wake me up right away the moment there is a problem. Got it?”

“Yes, Sensei.” Miguel agreed. 

Johnny sighed and nodded for the final time before heading off to his bedroom, leaving them alone together. 

* * *

Robby didn’t dare look up. He didn’t dare move at all. He was done with the coffee already, but he kept staring at the remaining soup as it got cold. An awkward silence had fallen over the room and Robby was dreading the next words out of Miguel. 

_ What’s wrong with me? How could I act like that? All desperate and needy and… and… _

_ And what’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he saying anything? Why isn’t he laughing and rubbing my face in it? _

“Here.” Miguel said, setting down a glass of OJ in front of him. “Sensei said plenty of fluids.”

_ Is he being… nice?  _ That wasn’t surprising in and of itself. Robby already knew Miguel was a nice kid - everybody said so. But not to  _ him.  _ And Robby didn’t need him to be. He didn’t need his face shoved in all the reasons why everybody liked him better. 

“Pretty sure dad’s asleep by now.” Robby said, glancing at the door. “You can go if you want to.”

“It’s fine.” Miguel replied and Robby didn’t really understand his tone. “I told Sensei I’d stay.”

“C’mon. Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Can’t think of anything.” Miguel shrugged. 

Robby didn’t dare push it. 

_ Maybe it didn’t actually happen. Maybe it was a fever dream after all. That’s why Miguel isn’t saying anything. Or maybe… he’s embarrassed too. Ashamed of the fact that he had sex with me of all people. And he wants to pretend that the whole thing never happened.  _

_ Yes, that could work. We could both act like nothing happened and nothing has changed and… _

“So I guess we should talk about yesterday.” Miguel said, tentatively. 

His flush had receded but now he could feel it creeping back up his neck. 

“There is nothing to talk about.” Robby said, still staring down. “I was out of my mind and I had no idea what I was doing.”

_ Please leave it at that. Please let me have what dignity I’ve left.  _

“You’re not… pissed at me, are you?” Miguel asked. 

Robby looked up at him.  _ Why would I be pissed at you? You were just trying to help me out. _

“N-no.” Robby stuttered out and Miguel looked relieved. “It’s just… something that can’t happen ever again.”

_ Is that disappointment on his face? That makes no sense.  _

“Yeah. Sure.” Miguel said, nodding at the floor and sitting down at the table next to him. 

And the awkward silence continued. 

_ I should say something. The guy did it - is doing it - for me. I can atleast show some appreciation.  _

“Thanks for yesterday, by the way.” Robby said and Miguel looked up at him. Then he realized how he must have sounded. “No - not that. I meant thanks for staying with me and… keeping me alive.”

Miguel smiled at the joke. “Anytime.”

Anytime? What the hell was going on here? Why was Miguel being so nice to him after everything he did to the guy? 

Sure Miguel was a nice guy and all, but he wasn’t a saint. He’d made that clear when Robby had gone over to apologize for his actions. He let it go, sure. Chose not to seek revenge. Even found a way to tolerate having Robby around, even though Robby tried to give him as much space as possible. But that wasn’t forgiveness. 

This new attitude was throwing Robby for a loop. 

“Can we talk about some of the other stuff from yesterday?” Miguel asked him awkwardly.

Robby looked at him bemused. “What else is there?”

“The stuff you said about your dad.” Miguel threw him a furtive glance and then looked at the table again. “He really does care about you, you know?”

“So everyone keeps telling me.” Robby replied. 

“Everyone?”

“Mr. LaRusso. My mom.” Robby shrugged. “My dad.”

“But…?” Miguel prompted. 

“But how am I supposed to believe that after everything?”

_ Where did that come from? Why did I tell  _ **_him_ ** _ that? _

Miguel was never going to get it. Nobody ever really understood him - but that was going to be especially true for Miguel. The guy worshipped Johnny. Johnny could do no wrong in his eyes. So he’d blame Robby for being an ungrateful bastard. 

“I get it.” Miguel said, nodding. 

Robby’s eyebrow shot up. “You do?”

“Look, my dad has never been around either.” Miguel explained. “My mom always said that he wasn’t a good guy, but that didn’t stop me from hoping that he’d still just show up one day. Tell me that he wants to change for me.”

Robby waited for him to go on. 

“But now that I think about it, it feels like, even if he did show up, I wouldn’t believe him right away.” Miguel shrugged. “Like, I’d be thinking - ‘why did it take so long?’ or ‘why didn’t you try before?’. That’s how it is, right?”

Robby nodded. He hadn’t expected any understanding from this corner of the world. 

“But you love my dad.” Robby said. 

“Yeah.” Miguel agreed. “But he still made mistakes. He said so himself. Just… give him a chance to fix them.”

Robby frowned. He was doing that already, wasn’t he? He was staying there, doing everything Johnny told him to. 

“I mean - don’t be so closed off all the time.” Miguel added, seeing the expression on his face. “It’s okay to open up every once in a while. Say how you really feel.”

Robby considered it. Was Miguel right?

No - no he wasn’t. He’d been down this road before, expecting something from his dad. Expectation led to disappointment and disappointment led to anger. And anger led to some very bad things. It was better not to start the cycle all over again. 

“It’s not that simple.” Robby said. 

“I know.” Miguel agreed. “Look, I’m not saying you should go around talking about your feelings all the time. Just - when you need something - ask him for it.”

“I’m not gonna beg.” Robby said, indignantly. 

“I didn’t say beg - I said ask.” Miguel repeated. “Look, I love Sensei and I respect the hell out of him. But he isn’t exactly great at this emotional stuff. About figuring out what others need from him. So sometimes, you just need to… nudge him a little. Make sure he’s going in the right direction.”

_ And what am I supposed to make of the fact that  _ **_you_ ** _ are telling  _ **_me_ ** _ all this? _

“He doesn’t need any ‘nudging’ with you...” Robby said, sounding petulant even to himself. 

It really shouldn’t matter, right? That Miguel and Johnny understood each-other - knew each-other - way better than he could ever hope to. It shouldn’t make him feel this way. But it did and there was no getting rid of it. 

“You kidding me?” Miguel scoffed. “Ofcourse he does.”

Robby looked at him in askance. 

“Look - Sensei wasn’t exactly friendly when I first met him.” Miguel explained, shrugging. “I practically begged him to teach me karate and he told me he wanted to have nothing to do with me. And that wasn’t the only thing, okay? He wouldn’t let girls into Cobra Kai when we started. And he was really mean to my friends. I had to talk to him every time - tell him he was screwing up.”

“And he listened to you?”

“He listens, okay?” Miguel told him. “I know he never admits to being wrong, but he listens. And he gets there. He really does.”

Robby nodded without saying anything. Maybe he could give this a shot. Maybe it could work. After all, admitting that he screwed up was something Johnny kept doing with him. And he  _ was  _ always asking what he could do to make up for it. 

But that still didn’t explain why Miguel was telling him all this. Nothing had changed between them, after all. Had it?

“Why do you care so much?” Robby asked. “Why do you care about me getting along with my dad?”

“I...” Miguel seemed at loss for words for a bit. “Sensei’s miserable like this, okay? He wants to make things right with you, but he doesn’t know how.”

That made sense. Miguel did love Johnny. And apparently, he loved him enough to put aside any animosity he felt for Robby. 

“And you’re miserable too.” Miguel added. “I don’t want that either.”

That… was unexpected. Robby looked up at him. 

“Since when?”

“Since yesterday, I guess.” Miguel admitted guiltily. “I didn’t get all this shit before, okay? I didn’t try to think about what you were going through. But now I know - and so...”

This was awkward, right? Opening up to Miguel yesterday was bad enough - but now Miguel was opening up to him? And he didn’t even have the excuse of being delirious out of his mind. 

“So what? You care about me now?” Robby said, trying to give him an out.

“Yes.” Miguel didn’t take it. “Would that be so bad?”

Miguel’s hand was over his now - scared and tentative. Waiting for him to get offended and pull away. And that’s what he should’ve done. Pulled away. Why didn’t he do that?

_ Does he like me? _

No - that wasn’t possible. Miguel was straight. He didn’t go for guys - not like Robby. And even if he did - he wouldn’t go for Robby. After all, Robby was still the asshole who’d made his life miserable. Besides…

_ Do  _ **_I_ ** _ like  _ **_him_ ** _? _

Robby looked at him. Really looked at him. 

He didn’t hate the guy. He hadn’t hated him for a long time now - not since that day. He’d done a lot of thinking about how they’d gotten to that point - and how he had it in him to do something like that. 

He’d realized his resentment had come from jealousy and he’d worked on that. Forced himself to see the good in his enemy and the flaws in himself. He’d been the one with the problem all along - that was the realization he’d come to. And his anger and resentment had gone away with that. 

But this feeling? This pounding of his heart and the ache in his stomach - this was new. His fever must be coming back because this was how he’d felt yesterday. 

And Miguel - he was looking at Robby like he had never before. No, that wasn’t true, Robby realized. Miguel  _ had  _ looked like that at him before - yesterday, when he’d had Robby on top of him. 

_ He  _ **_does_ ** _ like me! _

Taking a chance, Robby closed the gap between them and kissed him. 

* * *

_ This is a mistake. A big mistake. I’m making the same mistake again.  _

His back hit the edge of the kitchen partition as Miguel sucked a hickey on his jaw. 

_ We are making too much noise. And dad’s just in the next room. We’re gonna wake him up and he’ll come out and he’ll hate me for this. _

Hands trailed down his back until they were cupping his ass, pulling him closer to the taller boy in front of him. 

_ Things are good now and this is gonna screw it all up. Why do I always have to screw things up? Why can’t I help myself? _

He lost his train of thought as Miguel fumbled with the edge of his shirt, pulling it upwards. But neither one was willing to pull apart, so Robby settled for having just one arm out of the sleeve. 

That was good enough for Miguel. He made his way down Robby’s half-bare chest, biting a trail of red marks from his nipple to his navel. And then lower, along his treasure trail, right to the waistband of his underwear. 

Robby threw his head back in ecstasy, moaning and jerking his hips, pushing his tented shorts in Miguel’s face. Calloused hands made their way up his legs, squeezing his muscles, until they were at the hem of his boxer, tugging them down. His cockhead was caught in the waistband, pulling his dick down with his underwear until it broke free and slapped against his abs. It came to rest pointing straight at Miguel’s face, still connected to his abs with a thin spider’s strand of preccum. 

_ Don’t do it. Please don’t do it. I won’t be able to stop if you do.  _

Robby sucked his breath in as Miguel tentatively licked the head, swirling his tongue around it. Then he kissed it, gently sucking at the tip. And then, without further warning, he swallowed it whole. Robby moaned, his knees going weak as the wet heat engulfed him. His legs almost gave away under him, but between holding himself up against the edge and Miguel’s hands kneading his ass, he somehow stayed up. 

Robby couldn’t help it. His hand was tangled in Miguel’s curly hair, trying to push himself deeper as his legs trembled with the effort of keeping him up. And Miguel was clearly enjoying torturing him. He pulled his mouth off and licked along his length instead before hollowing out his cheeks and sucking at the head. And then he swallowed him again, taking him as deep as he’d go, until Robby’s pubes were tickling his nose. One hand found its way between his legs, scratching at his taint with blunt nails until the fingers were rubbing against his hole. They probed and prodded, testing and pushing, until Robby relaxed and a fingertip gently pushed in. 

“Turn around.” Miguel said, pulling off. 

Robby obeyed numbly. He barely knew what was going on anymore and he didn’t have it in him to object. He shifted, stepping out of his boxers and leaned against the counter. The hands were back on his ass, squeezing his cheeks and spreading them apart, revealing him to Miguel’s sight. 

“Unghhhh!” Robby moaned at the first swipe of the tongue against his opening. He’d have fallen down if not for Miguel’s hands on his thighs. The second one made him shudder again. And by the third, he was pushing his ass back into Miguel’s face, desperate for more. Miguel ate him out, got him all wet and sloppy and he was on the verge of begging when he felt the first finger push into him. 

_ This is torture. And torture shouldn’t feel this good.  _

Robby was breathing hard - torn between rubbing himself against the wall to give his drooling cock some friction and pushing his ass back to take Miguel in deeper. Miguel seemed to notice and wrapped one arm around his waist, keeping him in place, while he thrust his finger in and out of Robby. Every now and then, he crooked it, scratching the walls of his channel as if looking for something. 

Robby’s legs did give out when he found it, but Miguel still held him up. He planted a soothing kiss on one of his asscheeks - and then pressed down again. Robby’s head was swimming now. He didn’t even notice when the second finger entered him and started spreading him open. 

He whined when the fingers left him and Miguel stood back up, taking his shirt off. He heard the sound of a belt being unbuckled and then a rustles and Miguel pushed his jeans and underwear down his legs. He felt his warm, muscular chest against his back as Miguel positioned his cock against his slick entrance. 

The hands were back, tangled in his hair and pulling him back. Robby surrendered to it, letting Miguel turn him halfway around. The lips against him distracted him long enough for Miguel to push into him in one fluid motion and they both groaned into each-other. 

Robby had never felt so full - or so stretched wide open. Miguel gave him a moment to adjust before he started moving. Slowly at first, then gradually increasing his pace until he was practically slamming Robby against the ledge. 

The pleasure was almost painful. Miguel nailed that spot inside him with every thrust and made him see stars. Robby was practically squealing with every slam, no longer caring if he woke Johnny up. Miguel’s grip on his hips was going to leave bruises and his mouth was back at his shoulders, his neck, leaving a bunch of fresh hickeys. 

_ He’s marking me. I’ll be covered in bruises tomorrow and everyone will know who I belong to.  _

Miguel was panting now, big fat drops of sweat falling from his face onto Robby’s back and then tickling their way down to where their bodies connected. It should’ve been impossible, but Robby felt Miguel swell up inside of him before his hips stuttered and he groaned deep and loud. He was cumming, his cock pulsing and jerking inside Robby, painting his insides with his white hot cum. 

Robby was practically hanging off the ledge, completely boneless, when Miguel’s hand found him hard and leaking. He barely had it in him to whimper as the rough hand slicked him up with his own precum and started furiously jerking him off. 

He didn’t last long after that - not with Miguel still hard inside of him. Soon enough, he was covering the wall in front of him with spurt after spurt of white. 

He wanted to fall down after. Lie down on the cold floor with Miguel still inside of him and just go back to sleep like that. But Miguel wouldn’t let him. He still held him up, strong arms wrapped around his torso as he softly kissed his back. 

* * *

“Where did you learn to do all that?” Robby asked, exhausted. 

Miguel was trying to catch his breath too, but Robby could still feel him smile. 

“I kinda… went on a deep dive on the internet yesterday.” He said. “Wanted to know how things worked between two guys.”

Something about the statement struck Robby as odd. 

“Did you… plan on this?” 

“No, not planned, exactly.” Miguel replied shyly. “Just… kinda… hoping it’d happen.”

_ Hoping? To have sex with me? Why would he ever hope that? _

Everything felt wrong all of a sudden. Guilt and shame came back in full force and Robby was once again mortified. Suddenly, he was acutely aware of his nakedness and he needed to cover up immediately. 

“Get off me.” Robby said, pushing Miguel away and working his arm back into his t-shirt.

Miguel regarded him hesitantly as he pulled his jeans up, but Robby ignored him in favor of putting his boxers back on. Just like he ignored Miguel’s cum leaking out of him and trailing its way down his thighs. Once he had his clothes back on, he sat back down at the table, steadfastly not looking at the other boy as he put his shirt back on. 

“Something wrong?” Miguel asked, as he sat down beside him. 

_ Are you kidding me? _

“This can’t happen again.” Robby said, firmly. “Never, ever again.”

“Oh...” Miguel said, looking down. He looked… disappointed? Hurt? Rejected? “I thought you liked it.” He added sullenly. 

“Ofcourse I did.” Robby snapped. 

“Then…?” Miguel looked up a little hopefully. 

_ He doesn’t get it at all. Ofcourse, he doesn’t. He has never been in a situation like this before.  _

“I’m not doing that shit, okay?” Robby said with finality. “I’m not gonna be your shameful little secret. I’m not gonna be your side-piece experiment.”

Miguel’s mouth opened and closed in surprise. 

“I-I didn’t ask you to be.” He said. 

_ No, not in so many words.  _

“So what? You want me to be your boyfriend?” Robby scoffed. “Go on dates with you? Hold hands? Get milkshakes with two straws?”

“Well… yeah.” Miguel said, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean… I thought that’s where this was headed.”

_ Is he crazy? _

“Look, I thought about it. Yesterday. All through the night.” Miguel added. “And I think this could work.  _ We  _ could work.”

_ He  _ **_is_ ** _ crazy. _

“You are not thinking straight.” Robby argued. “And I’m not making the same mistake again. I went through the same thing with Sam, okay? I dated her when I shouldn’t have and Mr. LaRusso freaked out when he found out about it. I can’t go through that again.”

Miguel considered it for a moment. “I don’t think my mom would care if I date a guy.” He said. “And I think she kinda likes you. I mean, she is always telling me that you are not that bad and that I should give you a chance.”

_ Is he really that blind? _

“I’m not talking about your mom, dumbass, I’m talking about my dad.” Robby clarified. “Things are finally getting good between us and I don’t want him hating me because I… defiled his prize student.”

“Defiled?” Miguel chuckled. “What are you, the Queen of England? If anything, I defiled you.”

“He’s not gonna see it that way.”

Miguel pursed his lips, but didn’t argue the point. “Let me handle Sensei, alright? I’ll talk to him and make sure he’s okay with it. Anything else?”

_ Where to begin? _

“What about your friends?” Robby said. “They all hate me already. How do you think they’ll react?”

“They’ll deal.” Miguel replied. “And once they get to know you, they’ll like you too.”

“You don’t know me either.” Robby jumped at the opening. 

“Isn’t that why people date? To get to know each-other?”

_ Dammit. That was a dumb argument.  _

Robby sighed. He still had another card to play, but this was not the one he’d wanted to. 

“It’ll never work, okay?” He said, looking down. “Not after… what I did to you. Sooner or later, that shit will come back up and you’ll end up hating me all over again.”

“You don’t know that.” Miguel said, quietly. “Maybe I forgive you. Maybe now, you need to forgive yourself.”

Robby shook his head. If only it were that easy. 

“You think you can ignore that crap now, but what happens when you can’t?” He said, not looking up. “What happens when you realize that you’re never winning another championship because of what I did?”

“Don’t underestimate me, alright?” Miguel said lightly. “I have a secret weapon now. You’ll see when you face me in the finals. You’ll feel so guilty that you are just gonna let me win.”

Robby cast him a furtive glance.  _ Is he in denial? _

“Miguel, you are not gonna make it to the finals.” Robby told him. “Dad told me that you are not there yet. And after your injury… I’m not sure they’re even gonna let you participate.”

He didn’t look offended. He looked… dejected.  _ He already knew,  _ Robby realized.  _ He knew but he wasn’t willing to accept it. _

“Then you gotta win. For me.” Miguel said. “And I’ll be cheering you on from the stands.”

Robby huffed in frustration.  _ Stupid, blind, optimistic idiot.  _

But Miguel cut him off before he could launch into another argument. 

“Just let me deal with my shit, okay?” He said. “You focus on dealing with yours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Robby asked, frowning. 

“It means, I think this could be a good thing for both of us. But you are trying to ruin it before it even gets started.” Miguel explained. “Look, you can find a thousand ways for it to go wrong - but that doesn’t matter. And you are not even talking about the one thing that does.”

“Which is?”

“Whether you actually want this or not.”

Robby stared at him.  _ I do. God help me, I do. _


	5. Epilogue

“Get the fuck out of my room.” Miguel growled angrily. 

He’d been wrong. He’d been so, so wrong. How could he have been this wrong?

Robby Keene wasn’t an asshole - he was evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. 

Worse than that - he was an evil  _ genius.  _ A diabolical criminal mastermind. He was an eye-patch and a Persian cat away from being a super-villain. 

Miguel had finally figured him out, but it was already too late. The guy had wormed his way in, preying on his sympathies and his good-nature and when Miguel had least expected it, he’d struck. And he’d destroyed everything. 

And he didn’t even have the decency to look guilty. 

“That bad, huh?” Robby said, sympathetically.  _ No, faking sympathy.  _

“Screw you.” Miguel rasped. “You did this.”

There was a frog living in his throat. A huge, slimy toad that clawed and scratched and croaked every time he opened his mouth. And every nerve in his body was pulled tight, making it impossible for him to relax even an inch. Pain kept shooting through his brain and it made him want to stab his finger into his eye and swirl it around. 

“Hey, I’m not the one who told you to play tonsil-hockey with a sick guy.” Robby defended himself. 

“Thought you didn’t get sick.” Miguel threw back.

Robby chuckled, setting down the tray with the bowl on it on Miguel’s study table. 

“You think this is funny?” Miguel snapped. “I’m not the only one you screwed over, you know?”

“What do you mean?” Robby asked, curious. 

Miguel decided to show, not tell. Picking up his phone, he navigated to the messages and held it up as the first one from Aisha played. 

“Miguel, you fucking ASSHOLE. *cough* *cough* *cough*. You’re gonna pay for this. *cough*. If I miss the tournament because of you… *cough*...”

Next.

“Hey Miguel. Sorry to hear you are feeling under the weather.” It was Mikey’s raspy voice. “That being said - you are DEAD, you hear me? I’m gonna KILL you for this. Just as soon as I’m done throwing up, I’m coming over there and I’m ripping your GUTS out.”

Next.

“How could you do this to me, you piece of shit.” Mitch sniffled on the other end. “I thought we were friends. I’ll get you for this. This is still Cobra-Kai. No mercy, bitch.”

And on and on it went. Insults, abuses and death-threats hurled at his by his so-called friends. 

“Hey Miguel, I just wanted to say thank-you.” Bert was the last one. “With you taking all the other guys out, I think I can actually win this year.”

Robby couldn’t help bursting out in laughter at the last one and Miguel glowered at him. It wasn’t fair. Two weeks until the tournament and Robby had managed to take out over half of Cobra Kai with his cold. And somehow, he’d framed Miguel for it. And now he had the nerve to laugh about it?

“How did this happen?” Robby asked, wiping his tears. 

“It’s called a contact sport for a reason, dumbass.” Miguel explained. “I got it from you and gave it to others during sparring.”

Robby chuckled some more, ignoring Miguel’s scowls. The guy was utterly shameless. 

“How about you eat some soup?” Robby asked, offering him the bowl. “Might make you feel better.”

Miguel wanted to throw that thing in his face and tell him to get out. But the soup did smell good. Besides, his mom had clearly let Robby in and she always said that being sick was no excuse for being rude. 

The tomato soup was more like a broth - a little too watery and way too spicy. The first spoonful sent him into a violent coughing and sneezing fit, almost spilling the rest over himself. But he could breathe easier once it was over. 

He practically gulped down the rest of it. 

“Better?” Robby asked. 

He was. His sinuses were clear and he could finally take deep, relaxing breaths like he’d wanted to for hours. It even made the pressure on his eyes recede and his head hurt less. 

“Not bad.” Miguel admitted, grudgingly. “Where did you get it?” He knew his mom had never made something like this before. 

“I made it.” Robby said, with a hint of pride. “I used to make it for myself whenever I was… under the weather.”

_ Don’t fall for it. He is just trying to get your sympathy again. Don’t let him fool you twice. _

“So… you want me to stay?” Robby asked, looking hopeful.

Miguel shrugged noncommittally. He really should give the guy a dose of his own medicine. Act all cute and needy and kiss him and fuck him… and get his ass sick again. That’d show him. 

“I don’t care.” Miguel said instead. 

Robby nodded dejectedly, getting up to leave and Miguel felt a pang in his chest. 

_ How did it come to this? How did the guy get so deep inside my head so fast? I want to punish him - to make him pay for what he did - and I can’t even do that? _

“Hey!” Miguel said as Robby was about to open the door. “If you are gonna stay, better make yourself useful.”

Robby caught the bottle of vapor-rub he threw at him and looked at it quizzically. Miguel didn’t say anything else - he simply unzipped his hoodie and laid back on the bed with his eyes closed. Two seconds later, he felt gentle hands rubbing the gel on his chest and the penetrating smell cleared up his airways some more. 

_ Maybe this isn’t so bad,  _ Miguel thought as soft lips caressed his own.  _ As long as he keeps doing that, I’m gonna forgive him anything. _

**End.**


End file.
